Luna's Hogwarts
by icefire-lioness
Summary: Luna's memories of Hogwarts...Starts Year One. Luna is a smart girl, obviously, or she would never have gotten into Ravenclaw. So why is she a little...wierd?


"First day of school, Lu. Are you worried?"

She looked up at her father and scooped a spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth, shaking her head.

"Nope." She managed around her food.

"You sure? No butterflies?"

He was looking at her anxiously, pretending to read his newspaper.

Luna leant over and gently turned the newspaper right way up.

"I'm fine daddy. It's just school. You should be glad that Dumbledore is back."  
Her father nodded sagely, picking at his toast.

"Mm. I'm glad that McGonagall woman finally realised that Dumbledore had been taken over by the ghost of Stanley Pudditoes."

"Exactly. So at least now we know there isn't any danger of me being eaten by a ravenous zombie-Dumbledore."

Luna's eyes glinted with what could have been laughter.

Xenophilius took her hand and looked her in the eye.

"Luna. Thank you for helping me look on the bright side, but I _am_ going to miss you an awful lot."

"I know daddy, but I'll be back soon."

"Alright." He smiled bravely and dropped her hand onto the table.

"Now, we'd better get going or I won't have time to talk to that woman as well as catch your train."

Luna nodded and shovelled her remaining oatmeal into her mouth, and then stood up, shaking long blonde hair out her face.

"Come on! Floo powder?"

He took her arm in one hand and her trunk in the other, pulled her over to the fireplace and took a handful of green powder from a small box shaped like a mermaid before throwing it into the fire.

The fire crackled for a moment and then flared up, bright green.

Xenophilius turned to Luna.

"You go first, and I'll be out in a second, alright? Just say 'Ministry of Magic' and wait just beside the fireplace. And remember to tuck in your elbows!"

"Ok."

Luna stepped forwards and said, loudly and clearly, "Ministry of Magic!" before stepping into the green fire.

The flames were cool and licked around her body for a second, before she was twisted around in the flames.

Luna closed her eyes quickly before she could become ill from the fireplaces moving past her eyes.

She tucked her elbows in dutifully after a particularly bad knock from one for the fireplaces and after a few more moments of dizzying movement, she fell from the fireplace at the other end.

She got up quickly and stood to one side, looking around curiously.

The room was large and echoing, empty. Obviously no-one had come to work yet.

Luna remembered afterwards that it was only a Saturday, so no-one _would_ be at work.

She turned as she waited, dusting herself off as best she could.

In the middle of the room was a huge fountain with four golden statues in the centre.

She glimpsed the golden witch's vapid expression before somebody came hurtling through the fireplace and bumped into her.

"Ouch! Sorry!"

A small witch wearing a coat which seemed much too big for her was looking up at her from where she had landed on the ground.

She smelled faintly of mothballs, Luna noticed.

Luna leant down and pulled her to her feet, smiling easily as she pushed her fringe out of her eyes.

"Hallo." She said, as the woman started to brush herself off. "I'm Luna."

The woman took her hand and shook it firmly, smiling widely.

"Oh! You're Xenophilius' little one, aren't you? Yes, he's meant to be here so I can talk to him."

"Oh. Yes, he said he needed to meet someone. That's why I'm here. He'll be through soon, though."

The woman nodded, still smiling brightly.

Luna smiled back and looked around again at the fountain.

"I'm Bronwyn, by the by." Said the woman, holding out her hand again.

Luna shook it again, smiling at Bronwyn.

She seemed very nice.

She dropped her hand after a moment and looked back at the fountain.

There was something wrong with it.

"Seen the fountain, have you? Stupid statues."

Luna looked back around at the woman, who was glaring at the fountain with obvious distaste.

"Something seems to be wrong with them, but I can't quite pick what."

Luna stared at them again, a slight frown on her face.

Bronwyn snorted in disgust, digging her hands deep into her coat.

The smell of mothballs increased as her coat stirred around her.

"They changed the statues. Most people don't notice it, but people with a good eye on them can." She looked approvingly over at Luna.

"It's just a silly little vanity, of course, but the witch and the wizard's faces are wrong. Too insipid. And, of course, the silly little witch looks as though she could never have found a more awe-inspiring hero in that…_that_." She scowled, and Luna got the distinct feeling that there was more to it.

But she couldn't ask anything else because at that moment her father came through the fireplace.

"Hallo missus." He said, smiling as he put his hand out for Bronwyn to take.

She took it with a smile, turning her back on the fountain.

Her father and Bronwyn started talking about something and Luna turned back to the fountain, and stared in particular at the wizard, thinking he might tell her something. But it didn't give up any answers, simply kept its hand raised skywards and smiled blankly.

After a few more minutes of talking, her father turned to Luna, who was still glaring determinedly at the golden statue.

"Time to go."

Luna turned back around and nodded.

As they left the Ministry, she thought of the fountain.

As they got into a car, her thoughts moved to Bronwyn's face as she had talked of the wizard.

They pulled into the train station car park, and Luna got out, still thinking of the fountain. Something was wrong there.

She trailed behind her father as he walked into the train station, dragging her trunk behind her.

They reached Platform 9 ¾ and Xenophilius stopped.

"So, I'd say just run through it. I'm a bit nervous myself, you know. First time for me in years, after all."

He smiled and ran through the wall, disappearing quickly.

Luna took a deep breath and ran through the wall with her eyes closed.

Her eyes opened to a cloud of smoke from the train, which disappeared after awhile, leaving Luna to stare at the crowds of people on the platform.

Children her age and older, carrying trunks of their own and milling around the platform, kissing parents goodbye, waving from windows…

Xenophilus appeared at her shoulder suddenly.

"Have everything?" he asked, looking down at her, a worried air hanging about him.

"Yes papa." She replied distractedly, her gaze held by the busy train station surrounding her.

"Your bags?"

His voice was anxious, his expression wretched.

He didn't want her to leave.

Didn't want to be alone.

She put her arms around his neck, having to reach up, on her toes, to kiss the rough cheek.

"It's OK daddy. Its only for a little while, you'll be fine. I'll be back at Christmas, and we can go looking for Snorcacks, like you promised."

She smiled cheerfully, and he beamed at her adoringly.

"Don't you worry about your old dad…I can survive until Christmas…only, by the time you get back, you will have found I have wasted away to nothing – what with my terrible cooking skills."

Luna smiled ruefully, remembering his last (failed) attempts at cooking something remotely edible.

"Oh, you're not _so_ bad! Well, you are."

She grinned and he brushed a stray hair out of her eyes affectionately.

Luna nudged him gently in the arm, and went on.

"But I'm sure you won't waste away to _nothing_. Perhaps…well, by the time Christmas comes around…Anyhow, won't you have Helga to help?"

She changed tack, teasing lightly.

He blushed, cheeks turning ruddy, and she laughed.

"Oh, is that a _blush _I see, dear father? A _blush_? From the man of steel himself?"

His eyes crinkled as he tried not to laugh.

The train whistled, reminding them to hurry, and he pushed her gently to the doors.

"Quickly Luna…can't miss the train!"

She hopped onto the step, hoisting her heavy suitcase in after her.

He waved goodbye and she leant down precariously as the train began to pull away, kissing him lightly and holding onto the door for balance.

"Goodbye darling." He said, a slight catch in his voice.

"Bye daddy! Look out for the snarklaffs!"

Xenophilius saluted her as the train pulled out of the station, Luna's hair whirling around her face as it picked up speed.

"Will do my love! And make sure you keep an eye out for those nargles!"

The train moved faster and she blew him a kiss as he began to be lost from view.

One last glance at him, wiping furtively at a tear, and she walked into the carriage, dragging her suitcase behind her.

The train bucked a little as it turned the corner and Luna fell, hitting her leg on the side of her suitcase.

She let out a little cry of pain and rubbed her leg vigorously, her skin already bruising.

Hands came out of nowhere, grabbing her arms and pulling her to her feet.

She looked up and saw two red headed boys smiling identically at her.

They were identical, down to the last identical freckle on each identical cheek.

"Hi." Said the one on her left, who was now holding her suitcase in one hand.

"Hallo." Said Luna, a little shyly.

The boys grinned.

One of them put his arm around her and steered her into an already occupied compartment while the other dragged her suitcase in after her, groaning theatrically about the weight, while still grinning wickedly.

The boy sat her down on one of the seats while the red headed girl opposite her (Luna presumed it was their sister) looked at her curiously.

"I'm Fred." Said her saviour, clicking his fingers impatiently for his twin to sit down.

"And I'm George." Said her suitcase-carrier, still grinning.

"And we just saved you from a fate worse than death."

"Y...you did?" Luna asked, looking worried. What was it? Had there been Skootelnuks out there? She asked as much and they looked disconcerted for a moment before laughing.

Fred patted her on the knee.

"I like you. You're very…imaginative. Just the sort of thing we look for in a train companion."

The girl had been staring at Luna in fascinated anxiety, but at this, she cocked her head to one side, and smiled timidly.

"I'm Ginny." she said, holding out a hand.

"Hallo." Said Luna, taking her hand and shaking it. "I'm Luna. Luna Lovegood. Pleased to meet you."


End file.
